Blair Moment Number 2
by Kara Sullivan
Summary: A late night, a foggy road and a sleepy Blair. Please note: it is not necessary to read these in order.


Title: Blair Moment #2

Summary: A late night, a foggy road and a sleepy Blair

Disclaimer: Not Mine. Rats!

**A/N: Most of my life, I have referred to anything bad or unusual happening to me as "Writing experiences". For instance, when I had my wisdom teeth removed, I used it as a writing experience... I now know what it feels like to go under general anesthesia... you get the idea. Over the years, I even did some things just so I would know what it felt like. For example, I know what it feels like to ride in the trunk of a car. :-) Okay, so I got a bit carried away there in my youth! Well, since I have been following the Sentinel, I have switched the name for this from "Writing Experiences" to "Blair Moments" (they make great copy for Blairpain).... I know what it feels like from personal experience to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, etc.**

**If you should happen to recognize these, you may notice that the numbering has changed. This is because the one I had originally intended to be #1 has taken on a life of its own, and it really has little resemblance left to the "Blair Moment" that spawned it. It will eventually appear here, but not as a "Blair Moment". So 2, 3 and 4 are now 1, 2 and 3. I hope that's not too confusing!**

"Okay, Sweetie. That should do it. Thanks a lot!" Naomi Sandburg straightened with a sigh, pushing her long, auburn hair back from her face. She looked at the clock on the wall, unsuccessfully attempting to stifle a yawn. "Blair, honey, it's 12:30 in the morning! Are you going to be okay to drive home? You can always stay here for the night."

Blair Sandburg grinned affectionately at his mother. "I'll be fine. I always sleep better at home, so I'm going to head out. Besides it is **way **too late to be calling Jim to tell him I'm not coming home. And trust me - he'll be no fun to be around if I just don't show up. It's only a half hour drive."

"Okay. I just hate to think of you out there on the road this late." Catching sight of the look on her son's face, she smiled. "What? So I'm going through a motherly stage. Every once in a while I get an urge to actually be a mother. Don't knock it."

"Yeah, okay. You just threw me off balance there for a minute." Blair laughed, zipping his leather coat up to his chin. "Love ya, Naomi." He leaned in for a quick hug and kiss. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Blair opened the door to the cabin Naomi was staying in and headed at a dead run for his Volvo. The weather had been cold for weeks, but today the temperature had suddenly soared, surprising the locals with a very unseasonable high of 50 degrees. Very unusual indeed for Cascade, Washington in the middle of December.

The suddenly warmer weather had caused fog to roll in, and now there was a thunderstorm raging as well. Blair ducked into his car and shook the raindrops from his shoulder length brown hair. What a night he had picked to come visit Naomi and help her prepare her holiday cards. They had had an enjoyable evening, and he was very grateful to the old friend who had loaned his cabin to Naomi for a few weeks visit.

Twisting the key in the ignition, he listened to the comforting sound of the Volvo's engine as the car warmed up. He cranked the heat up as high as possible and turned on the windshield wipers. He turned the radio on and found a local pop radio station. He needed some lively music to keep himself going on the thirty minute drive back to the loft.

Waving at Naomi, who was standing in the doorway to see him off, he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. He really was tired. Home was sounding better all the time. He had been spending every available free minute (which had never been very plentiful) with his mother, and the long hours were starting to catch up with him.

He turned up the volume on the radio station, singing along with the catchy tune as he focused on the foggy road ahead. _It would have to be windy country roads_. It was taking all of his concentration to keep the Volvo where it belonged on the road. And all of this concentrating was making him sleepier. He yawned and shook his head sharply. _Come on, Blair. Keep it together here._

He yawned again, then woke suddenly when he saw the approaching curve. Although he was not speeding, there was no way he would be able to turn sharply enough. And beyond the curve was a sharp drop off. Panicking, he jerked the wheel to the left, successfully avoiding the curve. Unfortunately, in his panic he had overcompensated, and the Volvo was now headed straight for a natural rock wall. He spun the wheel again, a bit more gently, but the damage was done.

The Volvo spun completely around on the road and slid sideways toward the drop off. Blair hung on grimly, faced with the fact that there was nothing he could do but hope that the car would straighten itself out before it hit the edge of the road. His heart plummeted when it didn't. There was a crackling, scraping sound as the Volvo, now facing the wrong way on the road, skidded through the scraggly trees along the road and slipped off the edge sideways.

He clung to the wheel, waiting as he crashed down the side of the drop off. He had no idea how far down he was going to go, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. One thing was sure, though. He definitely should have stayed at Naomi's.

*****

Jim Ellison woke with a start. He lay still for a moment, trying to discover what had woken him. He listened in the darkness, but there was only silence. Blair was not home yet. He must be having a lot of fun with his mother. Jim frowned. He was worried about his friend.

Blair had been running himself ragged between finishing up the semester at school, keeping up with Jim at the police station and spending time with his mother. Jim just hoped that he would get home soon. He needed to get more rest. Shrugging, the sentinel rolled over and drifted back to sleep.

*****

The Volvo hit the bottom of the cliff and rolled into a field. Blair opened his eyes and looked around in shock, belatedly stepping on the brake. He wasn't dead. That was a good thing. In fact, he didn't think he was hurt at all. He sat there, stunned, for several minutes. Finally gathering his thoughts, he opened the door and got out into the pouring rain. From the dim light of his headlights, he couldn't tell if there had been any damage to the body of the car.

He got back in the car, rain water dripping from every exposed inch. Shifting to reverse, he attempted to back up the way he had come. The Volvo moved a few feet, then the tires began to spin. He looked up at the road. Okay, he wasn't going to get up that way. He put the car in drive and slowly turned the car around so that he was facing the road.

Looking straight at it, he realized how high the road actually was. The embankment he had gone down had fortunately not been the steep cliff he had imagined, but it was at least seven or eight feet back up to the road. There was no way he would ever be able to drive out that way.

Blair shifted to park and slumped into his seat. Now what? After a moment of thought, he turned off the engine and shut off the lights. He would have to walk for help. He wished he had thought to bring a cell phone, but unfortunately he hadn't. He got out of the car and closed the door. It was pitch black. There was no way he could walk for help. Since he was out on a country road, there were no streetlights, and with the thunderstorm, it would not be safe to walk for help.

With a weary sigh, he got back in the car. What was he supposed to do now? He was dripping wet and shivering, sitting in his car at the bottom of a cliff in the middle of nowhere, with no way out. Naomi would never know anything had happened to him, and Jim would assume he had spent the night with his mother. Nobody would miss him for hours. He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel. How could he have been so stupid! He should have stayed when Naomi offered.

Suddenly a thought popped into his head. _Try driving down the field further._ He started the engine again and turned the lights back on. Slowly stepping on the gas, he headed further down the edge of the field. About fifty yards downfield, he spotted the trees at the edge of the road beginning to thin. A few yards further the incline of the hill began to lessen. And finally, his hunch paid off. With a jubilant cheer, he drove slowly back up to the road.

*****

Jim woke from a light sleep at the sound of the Volvo pulling into the parking lot below. His lips curved in a relieved smile. Blair was home. Everything was okay.

*****

Blair got out of the Volvo on shaky legs and drew in a deep breath. He was almost afraid to look, but now that he was under the street lights at the loft, he needed to see how much damage had been done. He slowly circled the car, mouth dropping open at the sight. The Volvo was draped in dirt, twigs and leaves, some of them even plastered across the roof, but there appeared to be not a single scratch on the car. Once he had cleaned it up, you would probably not be able to tell that he had ever had an accident. Heartened by this and the thought that maybe he could get away without telling Jim about his stupidity, Blair shook his head and went into the building.

He took the stairs, although his shaky legs made it take longer to get up to the third floor. He needed the time to get his breath and heart rate back in order. He needed to go inside and act as though nothing had happened. Telling Jim would only make his partner worry needlessly the next time Blair was driving late at night. He carefully slid his key into the door and entered the loft.

Creeping quietly across the floor, he quickly dropped his wet clothes in the hamper and headed for his room. Dressing in a warm sweatshirt and sweatpants, Blair crawled into his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. His earlier weariness compounded with the emotional strain of the accident caught up to him and he drifted off to sleep quickly.

*****

"Chief?" Jim sat his coffee mug down on the counter and turned toward the French doors to his partner's room. Blair's heart rate was thundering off the scale, and he was close to hyperventilating. "Sandburg?"

He headed for Blair's room, knocking sharply at the door before letting himself in. Blair was curled under the covers, shaking. He seemed to be unaware of Jim's entry into his room. Jim sat down on the edge of the bed, laying an uncertain hand on his partner's shoulder.

"Chief? What's wrong?"

Blair made an obvious effort to control his ragged breathing, then dragged his eyes up to meet Jim's. "I wasn't going to tell you," he choked out.

"Tell me what? What's happened to get you so shaken up? Chief, are you having a panic attack?" Jim was bewildered.

Blair nodded once, then swallowed hard. "I... I drove my car off a cliff last night." He closed his eyes, obviously waiting for an explosion.

Jim was determined not to give him one. Keeping his voice even, he squeezed Blair's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Blair nodded. "Yeah. I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want to worry you. I mean there's nothing you can do, right?"

Jim shook his head. "Wrong. I can listen. I want you to tell me all about what happened. It might surprise you. Sometimes it helps to talk about it."

Blair laughed shortly. "I thought I was the one that minored in Psychology."

*****

EPILOGUE

Over the next several weeks, Blair recovered from his fright. After telling Jim in great detail about the incident, he discovered that it really had made him feel better. So he told Simon as well. He vowed to never tell Naomi, however. It would serve no useful purpose other than to make her worry.

He continued to drive the winding road between the loft and Naomi's borrowed cabin, although he always made sure to leave for home at an earlier hour. One night when he felt himself getting sleepy, he even took her up on her offer to spend the night.

Although there had been no damage to his car and no lasting physical effects to himself, he found himself less inclined to drive if the weather was snowy, rainy or foggy. Twice, he canceled an evening with his mother because of the weather, although Naomi didn't understand what had made him suddenly become so cautious in the face of a storm.

But slowly things began to return to normal, and with any luck, maybe someday they will actually get there.

**finis**


End file.
